1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the chemical control of Verticillium and other fungal diseases, particularly Verticillium in commercial mushroom production.
2. Description of the Background
A persistent problem in agriculture is the control of a closely related pest plant in a commercial crop. For example, although numerous herbicides exist for the control of broadleaf plants in corn, control of grass in corn is more difficult because of the closer relationship between the species.
In the mushroom industry, a similar situation exists with Verticillium. Verticillium, also known as dry bubble disease or vert, is considered to be the most significant fungal-induced disease in the mushroom industry in the United States.
A number of fungicides are available for use in commercial mushroom production in order to control Verticillium. These include Bravo, a trademarked product of SDS Biotech Corporation, Painesville, Ohio, which contains the active ingredient chlorothalonil; Mertec 340-F, a trademarked product of Merck & Company, Rahway, N.J., which contains 4'-thiazolylbenzimidazole; Benlate, a trademarked product of E.I. duPont deNemours, Wilmington, Del., which contains Benomyl, which has the systematic name of methyl 1-(butylcarboamoyl)-2-benzimidazole carbamate; and Zineb 15, a trademarked product of Wilbur-Ellis Company, Fresno, Calif., which contains zinc ethylene bisdithiocarbamate. However, this last fungicide is not available in all states because of environmental protection laws. Bravo is also not approved in all states. For example, it has only a Section 18 (emergency) registration in California, with full registration pending. In a similar manner, Sporogon 50WP, a trade-marked product of Darmycel, a division of Darlington Mushroom Lab, Rustington, West Sussex, United Kingdom, contains a prochloraz magnesium complex that is not approved for use in the United States.
Although these fungicides have been successfully used in commercial operations, continued concern over potential toxicity as well as cost makes the discovery of less toxic and more cost effective methods of treatment of Verticillium a desirable goal for the mushroom industry.